Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A: First, thank you for your time and effort. And thanks for an interesting and helpful website. We have undergone 6 unsuccessful IVF treatment, in the last one we used frozen embryos. My tubes are blocked but my husband sperm is ok. Which following options would you recommend for us to consider next and why? A. Continue IVF treatment with own egg and sperm B. IVF treatment with donor egg and/or sperm C. Surrogacy with donor eggs D. Surrogacy with own eggs We also have few questions fee related. Hope that's ok? A. How much could we expect to pay for a surrogacy in total and how would it be divided (legal cost, payment to surrogacy mother, agency fee, medical cost, etc.) B. When would the fee be paid? I.e. in advance, when the baby is born, when the baby has been adopted, etc. C. What happens if "treatment" is not successful, i.e. surrogacy mother does not conceive? Do you still have to pay full fee? And finally few questions related to success rate. A. What is the appr. success rate in surrogacy? I.e. how many attempts is on average required for birth baby? B. Is the success different if you use surrogacy mother own egg (traditional surrogacy) or if you use own egg ("gestational" surrogacy)? Thanks in advance for you help.

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Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A

Q & A: Just Starting Out - Surrogacy

For those just starting down the surrogacy path. Topics may include finding the right match, pros and cons of independent vs. agency, where to start, etc.

3. First, thank you for your time and effort. And thanks for an interesting and helpful website.

We have undergone 6 unsuccessful IVF treatment, in the last one we used frozen embryos. My tubes are blocked but my husband sperm is ok. Which following options would you recommend for us to consider next and why?

A. Continue IVF treatment with own egg and sperm
B. IVF treatment with donor egg and/or sperm
C. Surrogacy with donor eggs
D. Surrogacy with own eggs

We also have few questions fee related. Hope that's ok?

A. How much could we expect to pay for a surrogacy in total and how would it be divided (legal cost, payment to surrogacy mother, agency fee, medical cost, etc.)
B. When would the fee be paid? I.e. in advance, when the baby is born, when the baby has been adopted, etc.
C. What happens if "treatment" is not successful, i.e. surrogacy mother does not conceive? Do you still have to pay full fee?

And finally few questions related to success rate.

A. What is the appr. success rate in surrogacy? I.e. how many attempts is on average required for birth baby?
B. Is the success different if you use surrogacy mother own egg (traditional surrogacy) or if you use own egg ("gestational" surrogacy)?

Thanks in advance for you help. - Anonymous in the UK - Top

<following options would you recommend for us to consider next and why?

A. Continue IVF treatment with own egg and sperm
B. IVF treatment with donor egg and/or sperm
C. Surrogacy with donor eggs
D. Surrogacy with own eggs>>

These questions would be best answered by your doctors and depend on a number of factors -- your age, the quality of your eggs and/or the embryos
you produce, the condition of your uterine lining, your hormone levels, etc. We personally went through 4 failed IVF's with my own eggs, 2 failed IVF's with donor eggs (because I had questionable egg quality), at which point we
turned to surrogacy with donor egg because I could not produce a good enough lining to maintain a pregnancy as well as having an abnormal uterus due to DES exposure in utero.

A. How much could we expect to pay for a surrogacy in total and how would it be divided (legal cost, payment to surrogacy mother, agency fee, medical cost, etc.)

B. When would the fee be paid? I.e. in advance, when the baby is born, when the baby has been adopted, etc.

C. What happens if "treatment" is not successful, i.e. surrogacy mother does not conceive? Do you still have to pay full fee?>>

Again, there are a number of factors in this answer. It depends on the type of surrogacy you pursue -- traditional or gestational, with a friend/family member or a paid surrogate, an independent arrangement or thru an agency. I
also don't know how much legal costs are in England. They even vary from lawyer to lawyer. I can tell you that the "average" surrogacy fee for gestational surrogacy two years ago was 12 to 15,000 for a singleton pregnancy with a 2-3,000 increase per multiple child. These fees don't
include any miscellaneous expenses such as travel, childcare, etc. Medical fees are usually due in advance since most insurances don't pay for
surrogacy procedures. Legal fees are also usually paid by retainer and therefore are paid in advance. The surrogacy fees and expected monthly expenses are typically placed in a trust account with your lawyer or an accountant and are paid monthly to the surrogate from this account once a pregnancy has been attained or as expenses occur. Surrogates usually don't get paid until the pregnancy is confirmed. Some surrogates want their fees to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the pregnancy, but this is rare.

<
A. What is the appr. success rate in surrogacy? I.e. how many attempts is on average required for birth baby?

B. Is the success different if you use surrogacy mother own egg (traditional surrogacy) or if you use own egg ("gestational" surrogacy)?>>

No studies have been done that I know of on surrogacy pregnancy rates. Contracts usually state that 3 attempts will be made with gestational surrogacy or 6 attempts with traditional surrogacy.

Linda

- Updated: March 14, 2000
For those just starting down the surrogacy path. Topics may include finding the right match, pros and cons of independent vs. agency, where to start, etc.

3. First, thank you for your time and effort. And thanks for an interesting and helpful website. We have undergone 6 unsuccessful IVF treatment, in the last one we used frozen embryos. My tubes are blocked but my husband sperm is ok. Which following options would you recommend for us to consider next and why? A. Continue IVF treatment with own egg and sperm B. IVF treatment with donor egg and/or sperm C. Surrogacy with donor eggs D. Surrogacy with own eggs We also have few questions fee related. Hope that's ok? A. How much could we expect to pay for a surrogacy in total and how would it be divided (legal cost, payment to surrogacy mother, agency fee, medical cost, etc.) B. When would the fee be paid? I.e. in advance, when the baby is born, when the baby has been adopted, etc. C. What happens if "treatment" is not successful, i.e. surrogacy mother does not conceive? Do you still have to pay full fee? And finally few questions related to success rate. A. What is the appr. success rate in surrogacy? I.e. how many attempts is on average required for birth baby? B. Is the success different if you use surrogacy mother own egg (traditional surrogacy) or if you use own egg ("gestational" surrogacy)? Thanks in advance for you help. - Anonymous in the UK - Top: <following options would you recommend for us to consider next and why?

A. Continue IVF treatment with own egg and sperm
B. IVF treatment with donor egg and/or sperm
C. Surrogacy with donor eggs
D. Surrogacy with own eggs>>

These questions would be best answered by your doctors and depend on a number of factors -- your age, the quality of your eggs and/or the embryos
you produce, the condition of your uterine lining, your hormone levels, etc. We personally went through 4 failed IVF's with my own eggs, 2 failed IVF's with donor eggs (because I had questionable egg quality), at which point we
turned to surrogacy with donor egg because I could not produce a good enough lining to maintain a pregnancy as well as having an abnormal uterus due to DES exposure in utero.

A. How much could we expect to pay for a surrogacy in total and how would it be divided (legal cost, payment to surrogacy mother, agency fee, medical cost, etc.)

B. When would the fee be paid? I.e. in advance, when the baby is born, when the baby has been adopted, etc.

C. What happens if "treatment" is not successful, i.e. surrogacy mother does not conceive? Do you still have to pay full fee?>>

Again, there are a number of factors in this answer. It depends on the type of surrogacy you pursue -- traditional or gestational, with a friend/family member or a paid surrogate, an independent arrangement or thru an agency. I
also don't know how much legal costs are in England. They even vary from lawyer to lawyer. I can tell you that the "average" surrogacy fee for gestational surrogacy two years ago was 12 to 15,000 for a singleton pregnancy with a 2-3,000 increase per multiple child. These fees don't
include any miscellaneous expenses such as travel, childcare, etc. Medical fees are usually due in advance since most insurances don't pay for
surrogacy procedures. Legal fees are also usually paid by retainer and therefore are paid in advance. The surrogacy fees and expected monthly expenses are typically placed in a trust account with your lawyer or an accountant and are paid monthly to the surrogate from this account once a pregnancy has been attained or as expenses occur. Surrogates usually don't get paid until the pregnancy is confirmed. Some surrogates want their fees to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the pregnancy, but this is rare.

<
A. What is the appr. success rate in surrogacy? I.e. how many attempts is on average required for birth baby?

B. Is the success different if you use surrogacy mother own egg (traditional surrogacy) or if you use own egg ("gestational" surrogacy)?>>

No studies have been done that I know of on surrogacy pregnancy rates. Contracts usually state that 3 attempts will be made with gestational surrogacy or 6 attempts with traditional surrogacy.

Linda

- Updated: March 14, 2000

Unless stated otherwise, all responses in the SMO Q&A are courtesy of one or more of the following hosts:

Sherry - Experienced gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement

Linda - New Mommy to twins born via gestational surrogacy and egg donation

Jennifer S. - Experienced AI surrogate

Lynn - New Mommy to a daughter born via traditional surrogacy

Tracie - 5 time egg donor (triplets, 2 sets of twins and 2 singletons) and 3 time surrogate (2-AI, 1-IVF).

Lisa - Experienced egg donor and previous gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement (Lisa was our former ED host, prior to July 1999.)
Disclaimer: Responses from SMO Q&A Hosts do not necessarily represent the opinions and ideas of SMO. Neither the Q&A hosts nor SMO guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the responses given here. As such, neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts are responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. Neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts shall be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced in these responses.

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